“Sí, crecí en Jackson Heights, Queens, y aprendí el resto en la escuela. Mis padres y mis hermanos también hablan español con fluidez.”
Cole's entire family was fluent in Spanish, and I had no idea. Shit, Cole was fluent in Spanish, and I had no idea. I wish I'd known before. Cole could've told me all the dirty things he was going to do to my body in Spanish the night we had sex.
“Well, we could really use you. How fast can you read?”
"Pretty fast," Cole answered.
“Retention?” My father’s eyes narrowed.
"Pretty high." Cole's nervousness was replaced with incredibly sexy smug self-confidence.
“Papi, I don’t think Cole wants to volunteer at a law clinic on vacation—”
"I really don't mind," Cole interrupted. "Volunteer work is kind of a big deal in my house. I'd love to help out if I can." He turned to face me, and CJ leaned down and jumped into my arms. "But you're in charge. We do whatever you want today."
My dad smiled at Cole for a moment before turning to me. “C’mon, mija. Two hours, no more. And I’m buying lunch.”
“Fine,” I agreed.
“I called Mamita. She almost cried when I told her you were here. She’s making asopao de pollo just for you.”
I turned to Cole and smiled. He put his arm around my shoulder as we walked into the clinic.
Four hours later,Dad and Cole had somehow become best friends. They were making plans to play poker the next time my father was in New York. Cole had also acquired three law books, which told me that my father was hatching a scheme to get him back to PR for more volunteer work. Something told me Cole would be happy to oblige.
I learned so much about him in those few hours, and spending time with his family made me understand how he became the man I knew I loved. He was kind and nurturing. He was brilliant, but he wasn't cocky about it. He was so fortunate, but he didn't take anything for granted. He was funny, but he wasn't mean.
I've never felt more comfortable or more myself with anyone. This connection between us was about more than CJ. I had to stop pretending to pretend. I made a commitment to the fake engagement plan until CJ's adoption hearing, but I didn't think I could last that long in this limbo. If Cole did one more nice thing for me, if we shared one more lingering glance or, hell, if he even touched me, I would explode. I felt like a balloon that someone kept inflating with love, and I was about to burst.
“Hey, you okay?” Cole asked me with his eyebrows furrowed. I must have been daydreaming.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
"Sorry that took so long. This poor woman has lived in this house on the beachfront for over sixty years, and we were trying to figure out how to prove ownership. It's been in her family for generations. This is fucked up." He was running his fingers through his hair. "She traveled for over an hour to get here. Did you know your dad pays for a van to pick—What?" he asked when he noticed me gazing at him. I felt myself smiling.
Say it, Lisa. Just say it. Tell him you love him.
What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he’s just being nice and I read too much into it because my ex set the bar so low that any small act of kindness felt like a proclamation of undying love? But…honestly? This was no small act of kindness. He’d rearranged his family vacation to do this amazing, special thing for me that my ex-husband didn’t think to do for me during my darkest times.
As much as I wanted to tell him how I felt, I didn’t want to ruin the day. I would tell him after Abuelita’s, or maybe I’d just chicken out again.
"Nothing." I took a deep breath and smiled. He buckled CJ into his car seat while I said goodbye to my dad.
“I really like him for you, Lisa.” He gestured to Cole. “I see why your mother is so excited. Although, she’s gonna be mad that I got to meet him before she did. Maybe she’ll start coming with me again.”
"I like him, too, Dad." It was all I could say. I could barely admit my feelings about Cole to myself, much less explain them to my father.
"He likes you, too. He looks at you the way I used to look at your mother when I was following her around campus like a lovesick puppy. I never had a chance." He smiled and shook his head. I knew he was missing my mother.
I staredout of the window at the lush greenery on the way to my grandmother's house, thinking about my father's words.
He looks at you the way I used to look at your mother.
I turned to look at Cole, and he caught my eye and smiled, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Are you ready for the best food you’ve ever eaten in your life?” I asked.
“With that introduction, I can’t wait.”
